Review: For All the Evers by Debra Anastasia

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Standalone
Release: December 6, 2016
Genre: Time Travel Romance
Heroine POV - 3rd person
Heat: 2 out of 5
Length: 352 pages

Fallen Billow should be in college like most of her friends, but instead she’s raising her brother and working as a housekeeper at a vintage local hotel. It’s back-breaking work, but not nearly as challenging as fending off unwanted advances from the hotel’s owner.

Thomas McHugh is fighting for our country, across the globe and decades before Fallen Billow was even born. So there’s no way they’re soul mates. There’s no way he can be desperate to see her, hold her, kiss her. Except there is.

Is it a dream when he inks his name on her skin? Is it a delusion when she puts her hands on his face and says she loves him? Nothing has ever felt more real.

Fate has etched paths for Thomas and Fallen that even time cannot touch. A Purple Heart proclaims Thomas’ valor and bravery. And his death. But Fallen dares to dream of the impossible. She wants Thomas to stay. Just stay.

A tribute to all who have served our country, this novel honors the impossible beauty of love and the endless power of hope. Come open your heart and celebrate the many facets of bravery with Fallen and Thomas.

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MY REVIEW

The start to this beautiful love story was a letter the author wrote for her uncle Tommy, who was the inspiration behind this book. Although he died in WWII, his spirit lived on with his family.

"After people read this, you will be known. You will be remembered. And you will be loved."

Debra Anastasia was not wrong. This story was heartbreaking and heartwarming. The love held within its pages was astonishingly bittersweet. I hurt even when I was smiling. It took me nearly no time at all to start cheering the couple on for their HEA and I loved how the author suspended reality in order to achieve it.

Fallen was a 21 year old who had dropped out of college in order to take care of her younger brother. Their mother was an alcoholic and had long since given up her motherly duties and responsibilities. Fallen got a job at a historic hotel to make ends meet. While going over her duties, she learns that she must clean room 514, even though no one ever stays in it. She's also warned to NEVER fall asleep in that room. However, fall asleep she does! While sleeping, she enters a dream-like reality and is confused on how she arrived there. She meets a man named Lad who seems to know who she is but she immediately feels that he is not one to trust. She then meets a gorgeous man named Thomas, who seems just as confused by the circumstances of the dream as she is. They immediately embrace their shared connections, as if their souls recognized each other. Over time and through many sleeps in room 514, Fallen becomes determined to make her dreams a reality. She wants a future with the man she loves, Thomas, and he with her. Unfortunately, the year is 2016 and the man she loves is a soldier in WWII.

Between a manipulative mother, an overly aggressive and possessive Lad, and a drive to provide the best life and future to her brother, Fallen never gives up hope that one day she and Thomas will be united in the flesh. With the help of some much-needed allies, Fallen is able to maneuver herself around Lad's strange obsession in order to make time for Thomas. And Thomas tries everything in his power to survive until he can see her again.

This book was truly romantic. It had a Nicholas Sparks feel to it. Not many people can write angst and drama and love and make it so swoon-y. This story had an ethereal quality to it and I'm not quite sure if it's just the author's writing or because of the subject matter. I do know that I paid rapt attention to the way everything unfolded from the first page, not willing to miss one detail. The only disappointment I had was with the ending. It's pretty abrupt considering the buildup that was created throughout the story. I didn't feel like I got real closure and would have appreciated more, if not an epilogue. Overall, this book was entertaining and enjoyable.